Sawing machine



May 13, 1952 Filed Nov. 13, 1946 V. V. WEYANT SAWING MACHINE 8Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR VALO N E'. V WEYANT A 'TTORNEYS y 13, 1952 v. v.WEYANT 2,596,630

SAWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN v ENTO R VALONEV. WEYANT wa wgw ATTORNEYS May 13, 1952 v. v. WEYANT ,596,

SAWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 l NV ENTO R VALONE.\/.WEYANT BY 9% M ATT RNEYS V. V. WEYANT SAWING MACHINE May 13, 1952 sSheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 15, 1946 T ON M N EE vW V '5 N O L A VATTORNEYS V. V. WEYANT SAWING MACHINE May 13, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 6Filed NOV. 15, 1946 INVENTOR VALONE V WEYANT TORNEYS y 13, 1952 v. v.WEYANT 2,596,630

SAWING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 KNVENTOR VALONE. v.WEYANT ATTORNEYS Patented May 13, 1952 SAWING MACHINE Valone V. Weyant,Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Yoder 00., Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application November 13, 1946, Serial No. 709,578

12 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic functional devices, especially todevices for performing a repetitive operation, such as cutting ormarking, on a continuous, moving length of an article such as pipe, rod,or sheet.

Heretofore, various types of apparatus has been provided forautomatically performing cyclic operations on a continuous, movingarticle. One illustration of such apparatus is an automatic cut-off thatis used to sever a continuous moving pipe into sections of apredetermined length, as the pipemoves from its forming machine.

However, such cut-off machines have been quite heavy and bulky in manyinstances and have been difiicult to regulate to obtain cuts at properintervals so as to obtain even length pieces. The weight of the devicesalso made it difiicult to synchronize the movement of the cutter meanswith that of the pipe. Some cutters also are objectionable because theymay fail to operate if the pipe is slightly out of true or because theytake power from the moving pipe for their actuation.

The general object of this invention is to avoid and overcome theforegoing and other disadvantages of and objections to known types ofautomatic functional devices and to provide such a device that ischaracterized by its accurateand positive operation without use of powerfrom the material to be operated upon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact, sturdy machineadapted to function for continuous periods with a minimum ofmaintenance.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic functionaldevice which is entirely operated by mechanical elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic functionaldevice with a movable operational carriage that is synchronized with themoving article before the means on the carriage operate regardless ofthe speed of movement of the article.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an effective, accuratemeans for use in measuring repetitive lengths of a continuous article.

Further and more limited objects of the invention are to provide anautomatic processing machine adapted to handle a variety of. sizes ofarticles; to secure the articles in position when r they are being actedupon; to provide a finely calibrated, easily operated adjustment forvarying the length of the article passing the machine I for actuatingsame; to make the machine adjustable as to the length or articlerequired to fund tion the machine and to make it adjustable while themachine is operating; to provide a movable carriage that has a cyclicaction and which is automatically locked in inoperative position oncompletion of an operational cycle; to provide a measuring roll whichmoves only with the article being functioned upon by the machine; toprovide novel controls for the drive of the operative carriage member ofthe machine; to provide an improved drive member for the carriage; toprovide a manual control for actuating the carriage, and to operate evenif the article is out of line.

The foregoing, and other objects and advantages 0f the invention, areachieved, broadly speaking, by the provision of a frame, a synchronizingdevice for controlling operation of the machine in accordance withmovement of the article being processed, a carriage carried by the framefor movement therealong, a measuring device for recording movement ofthe article and driving the carriage device at predetermined intervals,and means carried by the carriage device for performing a desiredoperation on the article being processed when the carriage is ctuated.

Reference nowis made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a pipe-cutting machine embodying theprinciples of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a right end elevation of the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation of the synchronizing means ofthe invention;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.;

Fig. 6 is a plan, partly in section, of the gear box with its coverremoved;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 1-! of Fig. 6;

Fig; 8 is a detail elevation of the clutch release device of theinvention with the gear nut advanced;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 isa plan of the device of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevation of the indicator means of theinvention;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the means of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective of the carriage drive of the invention;

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section of line [4-44 of Fig. 13;

N Fig. 15 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the saw driving motor andassociated means;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary perspective of the saw motion control means;and

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the clutch rerelease device shown inFig. 8.

A detailed description of the automatic pipe cutter chosen to illustratethe principles of the invention, and which is shown in the drawings,will be'presented now and the pipe cutter is indicated generally by thenumeral Ill. The machine H) of the invention includes a frame I! whichmay have a drive element, as an electric motor l2, mounted thereon. Themotor I2 is connected to a synchronizing device, generally indicated at7 it, that is adapted to synchronize the operation Synchronizing deviceThe purpose of the synchronizing device is to synchronize, constantly,the operation of the measuring device It with the speed of the pipe l4.To thisend, a shaft I8 (Figs. 4 and is suitably journalled in a spacedpair of brackets, or housings l9 and 20 that are carried by the frame Il and connected at their upper ends by a tie bar 2!. The shaft [8 isconstantly driven by a sprocket 22 suitably secured to one end thereofand engaged with a chain 23 that is engaged with and driven by a drivesprocket 24 on the shaft 25 of the motor l2. The shaft l3 carries thecup section 26 of a frictional cone clutch the cone section 2'! of whichis suitably secured to a sleeve 28. Conventional friction material 29 issecured bears against a suitable thrust bearing 4| which in the sleeveit to one of the adjacent conical faces of the clutch sections 26 and21. I

A primary feature of the invention is that the two elements whosemovements are to be synchronized, in this instance that of the pipe l4and the measuring device 15, are both associated with the sleeve 28.Thus a flange 30 may be formed integrally with the sleeve 28 at the endthereof adjacent the cone clutch section 21 and cap screws 3! secure asprocket gear 32 to the flange. A chain 33 connects this gear 32 to-themeasuring device I5, as explained hereinafter. It will be noted that thesleeve 23, in its connection to the pipe exerts'a driving force on thePipe 1 at the same angular velocities and the linear and does not takeenergy from the pipe measuring its movement.

The gear 32 and the cone clutch section?! are urged axially of the shaftl8 by a plurality of coil springs 34 that bear on the flange 3B. Thesesprings 34 are backed by a disc 35 which is suitably secured to thesleeve 22! and rotates there-.

with. A conventional thrust roller bearing 36 or other similar meansseparates the disc 35 from the housing [8 so that the housing serves asa base or limit member with relation to movement of the clutch section21.

For'engagement with means controlled by the pipe i4 and to control theengagement of the clutch sections 25 and 21, the sleeve 28 has athreaded stud 3i fixedly associated therewith and extending axially-fromthe end thereof remote from the flanged end of same. The control means,such as a hub nut 33, is engaged with the stud 3! and it has a-sprocket39 formed integralinturn bears against the outer side of the housing l9and is held against lateral movement thereby. A grease fitting 42 issecured 'to the end of the stud 3i and it connects to a point withtolubricate the shaft It In operation, the shaft I8 is driven at a speedhigher than that ever desired for the sleeve 28 so that there is alwayssome slip between the clutch sections. The nut 38 serves to control theaxial force-bringing the clutch sections into engagement by moving thesleeve 28 axially with relation to the shaft is, and thus regulate theamount of clutch slip. While the nut 38 is free with relation to thestud 37, it still will rotate therewith and serve to transmit slightforce therethrough, since the pitch of the threads is made great enoughto set up sufficient friction for this purpose. As later explained indetail, the gear or sprocket 39 is connected to the pipe l4 so as toindicate movement thereof. Thus the rotation of the sprocket 39 is ameasurement of the pipes motion and, if the pipe moves'faster than thesleeve 23, the nut 38 will be moved with relation to the stud 31 towardsthe outer end of the stud. Since the nut 38 is the member limiting themovement of the clutch cone 2'! towards the clutch cup by action of thesprings 34, such greater speed of the nut 33 will advance the nut on thestud and free the sleeve 28 and its associated mean for axial movement'towards the clutch cup 25. The springs 34 'will 'force the clutch cone2'! more tightly into engagement with the clutch cup 26 as soon as themovement of the nut 38 frees the sleeve for such action. This will, ofcourse, give better engagement of the clutch sections so that the clutchcone 2? and hencethe sprocket 32 will be driven at a greater speed tobring them up to the speed of the pipe l4;'as the nut 38 willcontinue'to advance on the stud 31 until the speed of rotation of thesleeve 28 and associated means is up to the speed of the pipe.

Then, should the contrary be true and the speed of the sprocket 32 begreater than that of the sprocket 39, the stud 31 will be turned into avariety the nut 38 whereby the nut will serve to draw the clutch cone2'! out of engagement with the clutch cup 25 and the speed of drive ofthe sleeve 28 and associated means will be automatically reduced. Hencethe sprockets 32 and 39 are automatically adjusted by mechanical meansalone to operate speeds of same canbe adjusted by predeterminedcalculations as to their sizes with relation to the remainder of theapparatus, the operation of which is to be synchronized by the machineof the invention. It will be seen that this action of the stud 37 andnut 39 is very rapid and that only a very' short relative movement isrequired to change the clutch engagement.

Article engaging means that extends beyond one side thereof and mounts asprocket 46. The sprocket 46 in turn engages with the chain 4|] of thesynchronizing device l3 and receives a limited driving force therefrom.Thus a thin cylindrical roller 41, carried by the shaft 45 between thearms of bracket 43, contacts the pipe [4 and is at least partly drivenby the synchronizing device I3. It is thoughtthat the roller 41 will notwithdraw energy from the pipe l4 but will be pressed against it so thatmovement of the rollers periphery will measure longitudinal movement ofthe pipe and will exert a slight tensional pull thereon. Then theapparatus is able to handle a variety of sized articles by providing,opposite the roller 41., a deeply recessed roller 48 which is journalledon a shaft 52 carried by a second U-shaped bracket 49 that telescopesover the bracket 43 from the lower end thereof. The bracket 49 has aslot 56 formed in at least one arm thereof and the shaft 45 extendsthrough the slot 58 to assist in retaining thebrackets 43 and 49 inassociation. A slot 5| is formed in the upper end of each arm of thebracket 43 and the shaft 52 extends through such slots whereby thebrackets 43 and 49 are retained in slidable, vertical alignment.

To regulate the position of the roller 48 with relation to the roller41, a spring 53 is suitably carried by the lower surface of the base ofthe bracket 43 and it is engaged by an adjustable screw 54 so that theroller 48 can be moved to adapt the rollers 41 and 48 to receive avariety of sized articles therebetween. In all events the screw 54 is tobe set so as to cause the rollers 41 and 48 to grip the articletherebetween so that no relative slippage occurs. Thus the roller 41,through the chain 40 and sprocket 39, records the true movement of thepipe I 4 through the apparatus of the invention. A coil spring 56 ispositioned between the arms 44 and the frame H to support the articleengaging apparatus and to permit it to move slightly with slightvertical variations in the longitudinal axis of the pipe l4. The shafts45 and 52 are also free to move laterally slightly to accommodatelateral deviations in the axis of the pipe 14.

Measuring device Having reference to Fig. 6, the chain 33 from thesynchronizing device transmits drive to a sprocket 61 that is suitablysecured to a hub bushing 62 which is journalled on a clutch shaft 63which, in turn, is journalled adjacent its ends, in a conventionalmanner, by a gear box, or housing 64. The gear box 64 is carried on theframe II and receives the measuring means therein. A sprocket 55 is alsosecured to the hub bushing 62 and it engages with a chain 65 that isconnected to a sprocket that is carried by a pinion shaft 6'! which isjournalled at its ends in the gear box 64. From the foregoing, it willbe seen that the chain 33 from the synchronizing device moves at leastproportionally,

threads H cut thereon which engage with threads (not shown). tapped intothe bore of thegear nut 69. the pinion gear 68 and such rotation willnor- Thus the gear nut 63 will be rotated by mally advance the gear nutalong the shaft 10 while the other, or driven clutch section is securedto the clutch shaft 63. Hence when the clutch. 13 is engaged, the shaft63 is driven by the chain 33 and a sprocket '16, carried by the shaft 63at its end, engages with a chain 1'! to transmit drive to the carriageunit I6.

' spring I02.

The aforementioned action all is controlled by the gear nut 69 and itsactuation of the lock means 12. This novel lock of the invention (shownin Figs. 8, 9, l0 and 17) comprises a vertically extending latch hook 18that has a pin 19 extending upwardly from its upper end and whichjournals a roller 80 thereon. The latch hook 18 is pivotally carried bya block 8| which is secured to the gear box 64. The roller 80 is in thepath of the gear nut 69 as it approaches the end of the shaft I0 and thegear nut 69 will force the latch hook 18 to pivot towards: the adjacentwall of the gear box, which compresses A feature of the invention isthat the spring I02 is of a comparatively high presto move latch hook1B.

" to wear.

'the latch hook. The clutch tripping latch 82 is pivotally supportedintermediate its ends on a pin 83a that is journalled between a pair of'on the block 8|.

spaced upwardly directed shoulders 84 formed The free end of the clutchtripping latch 82 is in turn pivotally secured to a clevis 85 which iscarried by a reset rod 86 which is positioned in the gear box forlimited vertical movement as will hereinafter be explained. A spring 81is secured to the clevis 85 in a conventional manner and it is alsosecured (not shown) to the upper part of the gear box 64 so that thereset rod 86 will automatically move upwardly of the gear box when theclutch tripping latch 82 is released from the latch hook '18.

To control the action of the clutch 13, the clevis 85 also connects to apair of links 88 that connect to a clutch tripping dog 89 which ispivotally carried by a pin 90 journalled in the block 8!. A pin 9|pivotally connects end of the links 88 to the clutch tripping dog 89intermediate its ends, as shown in Fig. 9. The clutch 13 is ofconventional construction and is of the type adapted to be operated byan external control. Thus the clutch '13 has a shoulder 92! formedthereon which engages or disengages the clutch dependent upon whether ornot the shoulder 92 is free to move, or is held against motion, re-

spectively. The dog 89 normally is engaged with the shoulder 92 but theupward movement of 'the reset rod 86 will move the dog 89 about an arecentered on the pin 90 and will connect the 76? The measuring means ofthe invention are re- "clutch 13 to cause the shaft 63 to drive thechain 11. r

set by use of a gear 93 that is rotatably journalled on the shaft 63.Conventional clutch plates 94 and 95 are secured to the shaft 63 and arepositioned on opposite sides of the gear 93 with the plate 95 being held'against lateral movement by a bearing 99 between it and the gear box 64and with a plurality of coil springs 91 being compressed between acollar 96, secured to the shaft 63, and the clutch plate 94. The plates94 and 95 have conventional clutch facings, preferably of metal, thereonso that they will releasably drive the gear 93 whenever the shaft 63rotates. The gear 93 is of relatively large diameter, as shown, and itengages a relatively small diameter gear 99 which is secured to theshaft I9. A stop member I9 is positioned about the shaft I9 intermediatethe gear nut 69 and the gear 99 and a suitable thrust bearing I9I ispositioned between the stop I99 and gear nut 69. Thus when the shaft 63rotates, the gear 93 is so designed and arranged as to drive the gear99, and hence the shaft I9, in a direction and at such a greater speedthan the pinion gear 68 is driving the gear nut 69, that the gear nut 69is brought back to bear against the stop member H19, due to the threadedengagement of the gear nut 69 and shaft I9. This frees the lock means I2for resetting which is effected by downward movement, as hereinafterexplained, of the reset rod 86 that in turn causes the lock end of theclutch tripping latch 82 to move above the shoulder 33 on the latch hookI8. As indicated, the compression spring I92 is secured between the gearbox 64 and the free end of the latch hook. The spring I92 also urges thelatch hook 19 back to latch positionwhenever the clutch tripping latch82 is moved as to permit lock action by the latch hook I9.

In returning the gear nut 69 to its starting position wherein it isabutted on the stop member I99, the gear 93 first moves at least atsubstantially the same rotational speed as the shaft 63 and this effectsa rapid relocation of the gear nut. To retain the gear nut 69 at itszero position, the gear 93.s1ips appreciably with relation to shaft 63but the clutch plates 94 and 95 are urged into engagement with the gear93 so as to rotate it and thereby the shaft I9 at a sufiicient speedthat the gear nut 69 will be retained against the stop I99 against theaction of the threads II and pinion gear 68' which attempts to move thegear nut towards the left on the shaft 1'9 even during the reset action.

Yet another feature of the invention is that thestop member I99 can bemoved along and retained at a given spot on the shaft I9 to cause themeasuring device to operate for different lengths of the pipe I4. Forthis function, a threaded shaft I93 is journalled in the gear box 64 andblock 9I below the shaft I9 and a nut block I94 is engaged with theshaft I93. This nut block 596 carries the stop member I99 by a pair ofbars I95 secured therebetween. Thus as the nut block I94 is moved alongthe shaft I93 by rotation thereof, the stop member I99 iscorrespondingly moved along the shaft 'I-Il-to limitaxial movement ofthe gear nut69 along the shaft I9. Preferably, indicator means (shown inFigs. 11 and 12) are provided to correlate the position of the nut blockand stop member with the input motion of the pipe required to move thegear nut;69 from .its zero tcits lock release position.

These means are shown as an inch indicator dial I96 that is carried bythe shaft I93 at amend thereof .that'protrudes throughthegear :box 69.

The dial I96 carries a dial engaging pin I9I that extends radially froman edge thereof and engages with one of a number of radially directedrecesses I98 formed in the edge of a second, or foot indicator dial I99that is secured to a stub shaft I I9 journalled in the gearbox 64. Thepin I9'I is adapted to move the dial I99 through such an are that thepin will engage the next adjacent recess I99 each time thedial I96 isrevolved so that the dial I99 will in turn be moved through one step orare of a circle. A lock pin I Ilia may be resiliently urged against andengage with recesses I II in the rear face of the dial I99 to retainitin a given position.

Then, by suitably calibrating the dials I96 and I99, the'stop member I99can be set to cause the measuring device to function for any desiredlength of material passing the machine of the invention, within thelimits of the apparatus. In this instance, one rotation of the dial I96equals one foot of material and each notch or recess I98 equals one footof material passing the machine.

The dial I96 preferably is locked in a given position and a clamp dog II2 is pivotally secured to the gear box 64 by a pin II3 for thispurpose. A stud H4 extends through the clamp dog H2 and engages the gearbox 64 so that when the stud is tightened, a curved free end H5 of, thedog frictionallyengages with the shaft 193 to prevent it from turning.Loosening the stud I I4 permits the shaft I93 and dials to be turned toset the measuring device.

It should be noted that the dials I96 and 109 and hence the setting ofthe machine can be changed when the machine is in operation and that noparts can be jammed or injured by such resetting. Also, the dial I96 isadjustably held on the shaft why a clamping stud [96a so that themachine can be accurately calibrated both initially and as wear occurs.

Another'desirable feature of the'invention is that the measuring devicecan be actuated at any desired time by hand. A lever II6 connects to alink II! that is pivotally supported intermediate its ends by a pin II8that issecured to the block BI. The link II'I then is designed to movethe latch hook I8 out of engagement with the clutch tripping latch 82when the end of the lever II6, extending out beyond the gear box. ispulled out- \vardly.

Carriage mecham'sm The chain 11, which is the output, or driven memberof the measuring device, connects to a sprocket I29 that is secured to astub shaft I2I journalled in housings I22 suitably secured to the frameII. The shaft I2I extends transversely of the frame II and mounts asprocket I23 adjacent the carriage unit, which sprocket I23 engages withand drives a chain I24 that in turn is secured to the chain I24 andextends laterally therefrom. engages the. yoke I39. This :roller Driveis transmitted to 1 the table I28 by a yoke I39 which is secured theretoand extends downwardly therefrom. A roller I3! that is journalled on apin I32, which I 3|, as shown in Fig. '14, is on the axis of the chainI24 to facilitate transmittal of energy therethrough and the roller I3Iis free for appreciable vertical movement in the yoke I30 so that as theroller I3I passes through the oval orbit of the chain I24 the carriagetable I28 is reciprocated through a predetermined distance on the frameII. Such motion occurs, of course, only when the chain 11 is beingdriven by the measuring device which usually is at intermittent periods,but could be continuously when the device is set on its shortest lengthcycle, which length equals the time required for an amount of the pipeI4 equal to the length of the chain I24 to pass the machine I0. It willbe seen that the various sprockets and gearsused in connecting theapparatus are so correlated that the speed of movement of the table I28equals the speed of the pipe I4.

To sever the pipe I4, conventional means, such as a circular saw or disccutter I33 (Fig. 15) is provided on the shaft of a continuously runningconventional electric motor I34 that is supported by arms I35 which arepivotally secured to a bracket I36 extending upwardly from the tableI28. Coil springs I3! are compressed between the arms I35 and table I20to urge the motor I34 normally to its upper-most position. The motor I34has a connector bar I38 pivotally secured to and extending downwardlyfrom it, which bar I38 extends through a slot (not shown) in the table I28 and carries a roller I39 at its lower end. The roller I39 thencontrols the cutting operation of the saw I33 by engaging with an angletrack I40 which is pivotally secured at one end to the frame II underthe table I 28. The angle track I40 is urged to an inclined position,with its front end being appreciably higher than its rear end, by aspring I4I. A stud I42 may engage with a slot I43 formed in the track I40 to limit its movement. Thus on forward movement of the carriage unit(which is taken to be movement along with the pipe), the roller I39 willengage the front end of the track I40 and draw the saw I33 downwardly asthe table moves forward. The roller I39 will be moved beyond the rearend of the track I40 and be disengaged therefrom by the springs I3I thatwill snap the motor I34 and its associated means up to their normalinoperative positions. The movement of the saw I33 has, naturally, beenacross the axis of the pipe to cut it into the predetermined lengthdesired. One or more dash pots I44 may be connected to the arms 135 tosnub the return of same.

Fig. .13 shows a control arm I50 which is pivotally secured to the topof the gear box 64 adjacent the shaft I2I. The arm I50 is upwardlyinclined and, at its frontend, engages with the reset rod 86. The armI50 is positioned in the orbit of the roller I3I, so that the roller I3Iin being driven through an operational cycle,'will strike the arm I50and depress it. Then the reset'rod 86 will position the clutch dog 89 todisengage the clutch I3 and this will automatically stop the drive ofthe carriage unit on completion of its cycle of operation. When theclutch I3 is disengaged, the shaft 63 and gear 93 will no longer bedriven so that the pinion gear 68 will cause the gear nut to move fromright to left (Fig. 6) whenthe shaft 61 is rotated.

The table I28 positions a pair of apertured annular members I with thepipe I4 being adapted to pass through such members and with the saw I 33being positioned to move between the members to sever the pipe. Then abetter cut is obtained by use of clamping arms or yokes I6I that arepivotally secured in brackets I62 on the table I28. The clamping armsI6I are pivotally secured to an arm I63 that extends down from and issecured to the motor I34. A slot I64 is provided in the arm I63 so thatlost motion may occur between the arms I6I and I63 after the arm I6Iengages with the upper surface of the pipe. A spring I65 resilientlydraws the clamping arm I6I downwardly of the table by a link I66connected to such arm and extending down through the table. The spring I65 is compressed between a washer I6! on the link I66 and the undersurface of the table I28.

It usually is desirable to have means for cushioning the table at theend of its stroke and which in turn aid in the reversal of motion of thetable I28. To this end, coil springs "0 are suitably secured to theframe I I at the extremities of movement of the carriage I4 and abracket III extends down from the table to engage with the springs I 10and compress them slightly at the last portion of the movement of thetable.

A guard I is provided around the saw I33 and it has a saw dust collectortube I8I extending therefrom.

An adjustable idler sprocket I30 may be engaged with the chain 66 toretain it taut, if necessary.

Operation While the operation of the machine of the invention should beclear from the foregoing description, it will be outlined again forclarity. The motor I2 drives a shaft I8 which connects to the pipe I4and the drive chain 33 for the hub 62 and shaft 6! of the measuringdevice. Movement of the pipe I4 is recorded and accumulated on the shaftI0 by the movement of the gear nut 60 from a point against the stop I00to a point where it trips the lock means I2 and en gages the clutch I3.The clutch then causes the shaft 63 to be driven, when the pipe I4 ismoving, to drive the carriage I6 at the same speed as the pipe. The sawI33 is then actuated at a fixed point in the cyclic movement of thecarriage and the gear nut 63 and associated means are then automaticallyreset by the control arm I50 and gear 93 whereby the machine is readyfor another operative cycle.

It should be noted that the gear nut 69 and associated means cannotcause the machine to operate on smaller length pieces of material thanthe circumference of the chain I24 which is equal to the total length ofmovement of the carriage. The gear nut 69 does not measure less thansuch distance of movement of the pipe but can cause automaticfunctioning for any desired greater length of material.

It has been previously indicated that the machine disclosed in detailherein is but one example of the principles of my invention and themachine could operate upon rod, tubing, sheet or other continuous,continually moving articles and any of a. number of operations, such ascutting, notching, embossing, printing, etc., could be performed on sucharticles at any desired predetermined intervals. The articles likewisecould be formed of any material, such as metal or plastic.

It will be realized that any conventional devices, such as bushings,bearings, gears, chains, sprockets referred to in the specification arenot 7 'plete, operative machine, as well as the entire machine, in someinstances it may be desirable to use parts 'of the machine separately,or to add parts of the present machine to other machines to improvetheir functioning.

While in accord with the patent statutes, I have specificallyillustrated and described one embodiment of my invention, it should bepar ticularly understood that I am not to be limited thereto or thereby,but that the scope of my in vention is defined in the appended claims.

The synchronizing device and the measuring device disclosed herein arebeing claimed in separate applications S. N. 709,577, now Patent No.2,560,754, granted July 17, 1951, and 709,579, now Patent No. 2,530,796,granted November 21, 1950, filed concurrently herewith.

I claim:

11. An automatic function device for use in performing repetitiveoperations on acontinuous article, which device comprises drive means,roller means for engaging with the article, a variable clutchdirectlyconnecting said drive means to said roller means and directlycontrolled by said roller means, said roller means rotating only withmovement of the article, a cyclic measuring device, means connectingsaid measuring device to said adjustable clutch to be driven thereby bythe rotation of said roller means, connecting and drive means actuatedby said measuring device at predetermined adjustable intervals, carriagemeans, driven by said connecting and drive means, and means carried bysaid carriage means for performing, an operation on the article uponmovement of said carriage means.

2. An automatic, function device for use in performing, repetitiveoperations on a continuous article, which device comprises master drivemeans, roller means for engaging with the article, an. automaticadjustable clutch connecting. said master drive means to said rollermeans, a cyclic measuring device, means connecting said measuring deviceto said adjustable clutch to be driven thereby when said roller meansrotate, drive means controlled. by said measuring device and,

actuated thereby at predetermined adjustable intervals, carriage meansdriven by said. drive means, means'carried by said carriage means forperforming an operation on the article upon movement of said carriagemeans, and means for resetting said measuring device and, said drivemeans. for another cycle of operation.

3. An automatic function device for use in performing repetitiveoperations on a continuous article, which device comprises master drivemeans, roller means for engaging with the article but not constantlywithdrawing power therefrom, said roller means moving in unison with anarticle engaged by the device, an adjustable clutch connecting saiddrive means directly to said roller means, acyclic measuring device,means connecting said measuring device directly to said adjustableclutch to be driven thereby only when said roller means rotate and at aspeed proportional to that of the article, connecting and drive meansactuated by said measurging device at predetermined adjustableintervals, and means for performing an operation on 12 the article whensaid connecting and drive means are actuated.

4. In apparatus for performing repetitive cyclic operations on acontinuous, moving article, means for recording and measuring movementof the article, a frame, a carriage movably carried' by said frame,means for driving; said carriage through a cycle of movement on saidframe on actuation by said recording and measuring 7 means, operationalmeans on said carriage for performing an operation on the article,control means associated with said last-named means. means on said framefor engaging with said control means to actuate said operational meanson movement of said carriage through a cycle on said frame, and meansfor resetting said recording and measuring means as'said carriage ismoved through an operative cycle.

5. In apparatus for performing, repetitive cyclic operations on acontinuous, moving article, means for recording and measuring movementof the article, a frame, a carriage movably carried by said frame, meansfor driving said carriage through a cycle of movement on said frame onactuation by said recording and measuring means, operational means onsaid carriage for performing an operation on the article, an armassociated. with. said last-named means, means on said frame forengaging with said arm to actuate said operational means on movement ofsaid carriage "through a cycle on said frame, means for returning saidoperational means to its non-operative position after being moved tooperative position, and means for resetting said recording and measuringmeans as said carriage is moved through an operative cycle.

6. In apparatus for performing repetitive cyclic operations on acontinuous, moving article, meansfor recording and measuring movement ofthe article, a frame, a carriage movably carried by said frame, meansconnecting said carriage to said recording and measuring means whichare; adapted to drive said carriage through an operational cycle when apredetermined length of the article passes the apparatus, operationalmeans on saidcarriage for performing an operation on the article, an armassociated with said last-named means, means on said frame for engagingwith said arm to actuate said operational means on movement of saidcarriage through a cyclev on said, frame and, to release saidarm: afteractuating: said operational means, means for returning said operationalmeans to its non-operative position after being moved to: operativeposition, and means forresetting said recording and measuring means assaid carriage is moved throughan operative cycle.

7. In combination, a frame, a carriage movably carried by said frame, ayoke plate secured to said carriage. and having a vertically directedslot, therein, av driven chain journalledonsald frame and defining anorbit. having a horizontal longitudinal axis adjacent said carriage, aroller engaged with saidyoke, and means securing said roller to saidchain on' the transverse axis of and protruding laterally from theportion of said chain to which it is secured, said slot being equal inlength to the vertical height of the orbit of said'chainandbeing inwidthequal to the diameter of said roller, said roller being engagedwith said slot todrive said carriage smoothly and positively through arepetitive cycle.

8. An automatic cut-off device for use in cutting equal length piecesfrom a continuous article that is moving along its longitudinal axis,which device comprises master drive means, a cyclic measuring devicehaving a clutch therein and adapted to measure movement of the article,driven means controlled by said measuring device and actuated thereby atpredetermined adjustable intervals, said driven means being driven bysaid master drive means, carriage means movable by said driven meansthrough a reciprocating cycle, a saw carried by said carriage means,means for driving said saw, means movably positionin said saw formovement through the axis of the article to sever same when brought intocontact therewith, means connecting between the said saw and said framefor moving said saw into and through the axis of the article withpredetermined forward movement of said carriage on said frame, means forreturning said saw to inoperative position after a cutting action, andmeans for resetting said clutch upon return movement of the carriage.

9. An automatic cut-off device for use in cutting equal length piecesfrom a continuous article that is moving along its longitudinal axis,which device comprises master drive means, roller means for engagingwith the article, an automatic adjustable clutch connecting said masterdrive means to said roller means to drive same, a cyclic measuringdevice having a clutch therein, means connecting said measuring deviceto said adjustable clutch to be driven thereby when said roller meansrotate, drive means controlled by said measuring device and actuatedthereby at predetermined adjustable intervals, said drive means beingdriven by said master drive means, carriage means driven by said drivemeans through a reciprocating cycle, a saw carried b said carriagemeans, means movably positioning said saw for movement to and from theaxis of the article to sever same when brought into contact therewith,means connecting between the said saw and said frame for moving said sawinto the axis of the article with predetermined movement of saidcarriage on said frame, means for returning the said saw to inoperativeposition after a cutting action, and means for resetting said secondclutch for another cycle of operation upon return movement of thecarriage.

10. In a repetitive cyclic machine for performing operations upon amoving continuous article that moves along its longitudinal axis as itso moves, a frame, a, carriage movably carried by said frame, means forreciprocating said carriage through a forward and return path on saidframe, an operational device pivotally carried by said carriage, a linkmember carried by said operative device, and a track member pivotallypositioned on said frame and inclined to the axis of said article andadapted to engage with said link member on only forward movement of saidcarriage, to move said operational device into the longitudinal axis ofthe article to perform an operation thereon.

11. In a machine as in claim 10, said track member being pivotallysecured to said frame at a point sufficiently spaced from saidoperational device to cause same to be in the axis of the article atleast at one instant when said link and track member are engaged, saidlink member moving the length of said track member with movement of saidcarriage and being released from engagement with said track member uponreturn movement of said carriage, and resilient means for urging saidtrack member to a position for engagement with said link on forwardmovement of said carriage.

12. In a repetitive cyclic machine for severing lengths from a movingcontinuous article that moves along its longitudinal axis, a frame, acarriage movably carried by said frame, means for reciprocating saidcarriage through a forward and return path on said frame, a cyclicdevice for controlling the action of said carriage reciprocating means,a severing device pivotally carried by said carriage, an arm carried bysaid severing device, a roller journalled on said arm and positionedadjacent said frame, a track member pivotally positioned on said frameand adapted to engage said roller to bring said severing device into theaxis of the article on forward movement of said carriage, meanspivotally securing the lower end or" said track member to said frame,and means resiliently urging said track member to an inclined positionwherein said roller engages the lower surface of the upper end of saidarm upon forward movement of said carriage to produce gradual movementof said severing device into the axis of the article and return movementof said carriage depresses said track member by said arm.

VALONE V. VVEYANT.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,081,764 Meyers Dec. 16, 19131,219,935 Gorton Mar. 250, 1917 1,281,161 Hochstein Oct. 8, 19181,284,652 Gorton Nov. 12, 1918 1,936,331 Lawson Nov. 21, 1933 2,686 374Wikle July 6, 1937 2,209,595 Morris Aug. 6, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 140,440 Great Britain June 9, 1921 279,451 Great Britain of1929

